2016 NBA Mock Draft: Sixers win the lottery, land Ben Simmons

3. player. 18. <p>With many of their front court players in limbo, this is an excellent place for Boston to find a replacement to help fill the potential void that will be left by free agency.</p> <p>In an NBA that increasingly calls upon its power forwards to play along the perimeter, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Dragan Bender stands out because of his agility, size, and outside shooting. He moves well defensively for a 7-1 big man and plays with excellent effort on every possession. His 7-2 wingspan makes it even more difficult for smaller players to get by him when he’s switched onto them away from the basket. Offensively, Bender has been a capable three-point shooter this season, knocking down 41.1 percent of his attempts across all competitions. At this point, he isn’t capable of creating his own shot, but his catch-and-shoot skills will be valuable in helping space the floor on offense while he develops the rest of his game.</p> <p>Inevitably Bender will be compared to the New York Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis after the latter’s immediate success in the NBA this past season, but it’s important to temper expectations with the 18-year old. He is two years younger than Porzingis and about 15 pounds lighter. He has played just 12.2 minutes per game for his club team overseas this year while Porzingis registered over 20 per game for Sevilla in his final season. The upside for Bender, though, is impressive as a stretch power forward who can guard multiple positions on defense when necessary.</p> <p><em>To read more about Dragan Bender, <a href=. PF. Israel. Dragan Bender